The purpose must be specific. The more defined the objective is, the easier and more valuable the process will be. The focus groups should investigate data trends noted in the Pre-Review
Reflection, guided by the Key Categories for School Review and the School Review Rubric for
Observers.
Planning for the focus group meeting should start a few weeks before the actual meeting. Make sure you have enough time to identify participants, select questions that will be used, locate a room for the meeting, invite and follow up with participants, and gather all the materials you will need for the session. Allow time for the facilitator to set up the room and participants to get settled and warmed up, as well as time to finish and wrap-up. Between 1 hour and 1.5 hours is ideal, with 6-10 questions.
The responses of participants are the raw data generated by a focus group. After the focus group, the raw data will be read, listened to, or watched, to identify trends. To allow the facilitator to concentrate on their role, someone else should be in charge of capturing the raw data. There are several ways to record the raw data:

Scribe on chart paper
 Scribe on regular paper

Scribe on a computer
 Video tape the session
 Audio tape the session
Be consistent with whatever method you select.

Determine how many participants you need and how many to invite.

Develop a list of key attributes to seek in participants based on the purpose of the focus group.

Generally, participants should represent a range of experiences or demographic groups.

Using the list of attributes, brainstorm about possible participants.

Secure names and contact information, finalize the list, and send invitations.
Focus groups should consist of six to ten participants. Fewer than six participants, may limit the conversation, while more than ten gets to be crowded, and individuals may not feel comfortable speaking up. However, you should invite more, allowing for no-shows.
Your focus group should not last longer than 1 to 1.5 hours. Keeping a cap on how the time will be used will help the facilitator and the discussion to stay focused. To be effective, focus group questions should be open-ended and move from the general to the specific. For example if you
School Review Doc #11 | Guidelines for Conducting Focus Groups

were trying to understand the effectiveness of Advisory period, begin with general questions and move to more specific questions:
1.
Describe your classroom learning environment.
2.
How do students interact with the teacher?
3.
How do students interact with other students?
4.
Describe the structured opportunities for classroom talk.
5.
Describe when you speak in the classroom.
6.
In what ways are students acquiring academic language and content vocabulary?
7.
How is classroom talk supported in professional development?
8.
What else might the school or teachers need to support classroom talk?

Once you have a list of questions, look at your purpose and objectives again to make certain the questions are aligned with the purpose.

Keep the most important questions that qualify your purpose. Eliminate or combine as many questions as possible, while still maintaining clarity and purpose.

Order the questions logically, so they are comfortable for the participants and invite conversation.

Start with a general, but easily engaging, question to allow the participants to warm-up.

Consider asking the same question to different focus groups for the purposes of comparison and understanding a variety of experiences.
6.
As mentioned above, you should plan for 1 hour to 1.5 hour time frame to conduct each of the focus groups. A minimum of one hour is recommended; be cautious not to exceed one and a half hours; if you do, you take the risk of losing your participants or straying away from the focus.
Account for time at the beginning and the end so that participants do not feel rushed and have time to ask clarifying questions—and so the facilitator does not feel rushed.
There are three parts to a focus group script:
1. Opening: the facilitator welcomes the group; introduces the purpose and context; explains what a focus group is and the order of events; and makes individual introductions or allows participants to introduce themselves.
2.
Questions: The facilitator asks questions and elicits responses from the participants. The facilitator transcribes or charts responses.
3.
Closing: The facilitator wraps up the focus group by thanking the participants, indicating where or how they may provide more input, sharing how the data will be used, and inviting them to the event where the Review Team shares findings with the school community.
When selecting a facilitator it is important to select carefully because this individual must be able to:

Re-direct outspoken group members

Re-direct the conversation and keep the discussion focused on the questions

Draw out quieter group members
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
Re-phrase questions for clarification and understanding
The facilitator should be knowledgeable about the school review process and/or be able to speak clearly about the school, its operations and staff.
When selecting the facilitator, it is important to be aware of anything about the facilitator (or facilitators) that might make participants uncomfortable to speak freely.
When choosing a location to conduct your focus group, make certain to choose a setting that will accommodate all the participants comfortably. A comfortable setting will contribute to facilitating a group interview where participants feel relaxed and are able to express their opinions. In addition you should supply some type of beverage.
When choosing a location, ask yourself the following questions:

Does the setting encourage conversation?

How will the setting affect the information that needs to be gathered?

Will the setting bias the information in any way?

Will the setting accommodate ten people so they can view each other?

Importantly, is the location easily accessible?
Here are some possible variations to maximize your focus groups:
 Fishbowl 1: Seat focus group participants around a table in the center of the room, invite
Review Team members to sit in an outer ring and serve as recorders o Consider assigning each Review Team member 1-2 topics on which to collect data
 Fishbowl 2: Conduct focus groups prior to Review Day. Videotape the discussion and watch as a team as part of Review Day.
 Focus Group Write-up: Conduct focus groups prior to Review Day. Write up the raw data or summarize the findings. Read on Review Day as a team and discuss how focus group data relates to classroom observation data.
 Notepads and pencils
 Computer

Flip chart or easel paper
 Focus group script

List of participants
 Markers, Masking tape
 Name tags

Refreshments
 Watch or clock
 Set the tone for a comfortable, enjoyable discussion
 Explain the means to record the session. (Make certain you record the session)

Carry out the focus group as per the plan and script

Be prepared to make room for spontaneity, i.e., asking follow-up questions that could lead to probing deeper into a topic.
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
Set a positive tone for the meeting; participants should have fun and feel good about the session.

Make certain every participant is heard; draw out quieter group members.

Get full answers (not just "we need more money” but rather, “we need more money to hire a receptionist to answer phones").
 Monitor time closely; don’t exceed set time limits.

Keep the discussion on track; try to address all or most of the questions.
 Head off exchanges of opinion about individual items that do not relate to the topic
(keep control of the meeting)
There are three steps to using the findings of your focus group to write your report and share with your school community
1.
Summarize the meeting. The facilitator should review the session with another person to capture fresh impressions. Quick turnaround time on the transcription helps avoid
memory lapses.
2.
Analyze the summaries. Start by reading all the focus group summaries in one sitting.
Look for trends (comments that seem to appear repeatedly in the data) and surprises
(unexpected comments that are worth noting). Keep in mind that context and tone are just as important as the reiteration of particular words. If a comment (or a number of comments) seemed to be phrased negatively, elicited emotional responses, or triggered many other comments, that would be worth noting in the analysis.
3.
Use the focus group data to write your Support Plan and Final Write-up. Include all information about the focus group, details of the sessions, findings, and conclusions.
School Review Doc #11 | Guidelines for Conducting Focus Groups